Author: Benjamin

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has issued a call for evidence for its short inquiry into the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The inquiry will focus on reports of delays to approvals by the regulator for new high-rise buildings and maintenance of existing buildings. The committee is seeking evidence from building industry specialists, housing associations, architects, resident groups, safety experts, local authorities and other relevant stakeholders on a number of questions, including:  + has the introduction of the BSR improved the safety of the buildings it is responsible for?…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Reapit has announced its next major offering: Reapit AI (RAI), an AI-powered assistant designed to help sales and property management professionals work smarter, faster, and more efficiently. Launching early in 2026, RAI will be embedded deeply into the Reapit platform, providing agents with a “digital co-worker” that automates time-consuming tasks and delivers insights and communication in the agency’s unique brand voice. This ranges from property descriptions and prospecting to maintenance coordination and analysis. “Estate agencies are under increasing pressure to do more with less, and we believe AI should be…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Zoopla has launched Prospect Plus, a new product that it hopes will boost valuation leads for estate agents. The property portal says that the Prospect Plus product is designed to connect agents with these high-intent prospects potentially planning to sell their home within the net 12 months. It points to early results from the 150 agents using the product that it says shows a conversion rate of over 40% from valuation requests to instructions already delivering a strong return on investment for Zoopla customers. The portal said…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Adam day eXp UK, the platform for personal estate agents and estate agency businesses, claims to now be the UK’s largest estate agent, at least based on external data for May. The fast-growing self-employed agency brand points to data from TwentyEA that shows significant growth in the number of properties listed in the last month, with eXp UK also seemingly topping the table with the most homes sold subject to contract. The data shows that eXp UK has listed more new instructions than any other UK agent in May, with…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: L-R: Matthew Chard, George Smith, and Rowland King Chestertons trio join United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty has welcomed three new prime central London agents to its growing team, joining from Chestertons. With over 50 years of combined experience, Rowland King, George Smith, and Matthew Chard will help strengthen the firm’s senior team. The three agents joined forces at Chestertons, working collaboratively across prime central London for over 10 years and executing noteworthy deals in Belgravia, Knightsbridge and Chelsea. Senior Sales Director (Consultant) Rowland King has…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: At midday today, the Bank of England will announce its latest interest rate decision and publish its Monetary Policy Summary. The current Bank Rate of 4.25% has been in place since April this year, while one year ago it stood at 5.25%. The existing interest rate looks set to stay at 4.25% following the latest inflation data. The May inflation figure, published by the ONS yesterday, remains at 3.4% and is predicted to rise over the next few months before falling towards the target rate of 2%. Industry thoughts: Moreas…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: A major flooding programme will be officially announced by government this week, with a record £7.9bn committed over ten years to protect ‘hundreds of thousands of homes’, small businesses, and vital infrastructure from the growing threat of flooding. From high-performance flood barriers to nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, the programme will aim to deliver long-term protection for communities as part of the government’s Plan for Change. This comes as the government gears up to announcing its landmark Infrastructure Strategy. In the Spending Review last week, the government also confirmed that…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: An ex-estate agent who conned tenants out of £200,000 has been jailed. Samy Daim, 28, advertised properties he did not own, collected deposits from his victims and then disappeared. The former London-based estate agent targeted 11 prospective tenants in total to the tune of £213,180. He then splashed the cash on luxury holidays around the world, which he shared photos of on social media. Daim has now been jailed for four years and four months after he admitted admitted 11 counts of fraud by false representation. Inner London Crown Court heard…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The results are in for the Best Estate Agent Guide 2026, with the overall winners set to be announced at this year’s EA Masters on 4 November. Every year, the team behind the Best Estate Agent Guide carries out the biggest performance assessment in the estate agency industry to identify the best agencies in the country. This year’s assessment is now complete and the agents listed in the guide have been revealed. The rigorous selection process has seen data from online property listings used to select a shortlist of possible best…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: An employee left an estate agency facing near bankruptcy after stealing close to £80,000 in rent money and deposits from customers of estate agents Sansome and George, which has offices covering Kingsclere and Newbury, Theale, Mortimer and Tadley. The 52-year-old, of St Mary’s Avenue, Purley, was a trusted employee, leaving company directors devastated to discover her deceit. Directors told the court the business nearly went under and continues to deal with the financial and emotional repercussions of Knight’s actions. Knight was only caught because of errors which led to an…